I Will Save You
by Winter Tiger
Summary: 'I'm frozen in surprise when Katniss volunteers for tribute in my place. I can't let her! I suddenly realize. A cold, calm voice echoes, "I won't let you."  Katniss looks at me in surprise and I realize that I said that.' Prim takes Katniss's place in The Hunger Games. Edited.
1. Reaping

**A/N: I edited it! You might want to read it again. Cause it's waaaaay different.**

On reaping day, when I wake up, Katniss is already gone. She's taken the cheese I left her, gone to the woods to hunt. Probably with Gale. I never show it, but I don't really like him. I feel like he's stealing her, and not just by spending the entire day with her, but he's stealing her heart. I know. I'm a bit over protective of her. But I don't want him to hurt her. She's the one who provides for us, and she's organizing that secret rebellion. The one time I express my feelings, she laughs and teases me for being in love with him. I do _not _like him.

And besides that, there's also that weird dream...

_I'm flying and I can feel the wind in my face and see District 12 flying by beneath me. The air is so refreshing, the birds playing with me, and then a wall pops up and I crash. When I fall, I see Katniss and she's being ushered into a train. I quickly follow. Everything fast forwards and I burst over the Hunger Games arena just in time to see a knife enter her body. Katniss falls, and then the girl who stabbed her takes her backpack and runs off. I scream and the sound echoes in my ears, on and on and on. Until I wake up._

I shake off my fear and quietly get out of bed. I feed Buttercup a little part of squirrel I find in our bare cupboards. Mother wakes up and we make some tea. I like spending alone time with her, waiting for Katniss to come back. Soon I hear a faint bleating sound from outside.

"I have to milk Lady," I say and run from the house and the foreboding feeling that hangs over it. Lady calms me down like always. I play with her and Buttercup until I see Katniss coming up the path. Time seems to pass faster as Mother cooks the meat and we dress up for the reaping. This is my first time and for some reason I'm not afraid.

All the important people drone on and on and on. I tune them out and almost miss Effie's voice calling my name.

I'm frozen in surprise when Katniss volunteers for tribute in my place. _I can't let her!_ I suddenly realize. A cold, calm voice echoes, "I won't let you."

Katniss looks at me in surprise and I realize that I said that.

"You can't," I repeat. I turn and stomp up the stairs. Katniss and my mom stare helplessly up at me as I take my place. But it's _my _choice. I love my sister more than anything in the world. I won't let the capitol take her away from me. Even if I die, I will save her. And my district. I promise myself that I will do anything I can to come back alive.

xxXxx

As I wait in the room, I try to come to terms with what I have done. It's not easy

My family says goodbye first, and Katniss gives me a bracelet woven from some kind of strong fiber. It's beautiful. All she says is "Wear that and remember us. They let you wear one thing from your district. I love you." But I can read all the things in her eyes that she won't tell me, because then she'd break down and she wouldn't let me go.

Mother has sunk back into despair like after the time daddy died. I tell her to take the medicine for despair that she has, but she probably didn't hear me. She still hugs me and I fit in that special place in her arms where I can forget everything until Peacekeepers come in and take them away.

Then Gale comes in and we stare at each other for am indeterminable amount of time. "I'll take care of her," he finally says.

I just stare at him, even as the peacekeepers come to take him away. I don't have anything to say to him. I really _don't _like him. Why does that sound so much like denial?

xxXxx

The train ride is really long, since we're the farthest from the capitol. Effie seats us in the dining carriage and chatters on about the newest Capitol fashions. "Oh, lizard fashions are so _in _right now. I really must get more scales. And fish fin hair? Don't get me started on that..." She starts on it anyways, and after an hour about the pros and cons of shark fins mixed with flowy betta fish fins and mermaid tales, I finally get tired of it and sneak out to explore.

The capitol train didn't look that big from the outside, but from the inside, it's really, really long. There's food in every room, even the bathrooms. Those have platters of cookies or mints wrapped in plastic next to the sink.

It's an overnight train, so there are also bedrooms. I find mine easily. There's a golden nameplate that says _Primrose Everdeen_ in fancy letters. Inside, the first thing I see is a nice bed that looks so comfortable, I just want to curl up and sleep forever. But then I see the awesome TV. It takes up a whole wall. With _spoken commands. _You take the microphone and say whatever you want to see. A window takes up another wall, but the automatic, cute little sphere lights hanging from the low ceiling make it hard to see anything outside. The train's going so fast you can probably only see blurred wilderness anyways.

A little table laden with more hot, steamy food stands on the other side of a little paper-and-wood partition. The closet has more clothes than I can possibly wear in my whole life.

The bathroom is just plain awesome. Except awesome isn't plain in any way... There's a toilet, and fancy buttons everywhere. There's even a bathtub. The only ones we had in District 12 were in the victors' and mayor's houses. Or so I've heard.

I step in for a long soak and experiment with the buttons until I'm almost drowning in bubbles. The running water is so loud, I almost the sound of someone slamming open my door and stomping in. "Primrose!" comes the shout. I groan. It's Haymitch. "Where are you? It's time for dinner!"

"Haven't you ever heard of _knocking on the door_ in case someone's_ taking a bath?" _I demand.

"Oh. Well, just come out soon. Effie's getting worried," he makes a hasty retreat. I roll my eyes. My relaxation ruined...oh well. At least I have good food to look forward to.

xxXxx

"And now, for the amazing tributes!" I wait my turn on the horse-drawn carriages, wearing a _burning cape_. I was so scared of it, I didn't even notice who put it on me. I mean, five minutes into the Capitol and they're already trying to kill me. Everything passes in a blur of colors and applause and whistles. Effie's face is the only one I can distinguish from the others after, probably because it's so close. She looks so proud.

I wear the white, soft dress I find in the back of my closet to dinner. Chicken, bread, and many different types of seafood are spread buffet-style around the room, with our dining table in the middle. Effie glares disapprovingly at me as I walk in. But she's also glaring at Peeta. Maybe he snuck out too.

I load up my plate- chicken, mashed potatoes, grave and corn piled up like an island in the middle of my plate, with shrimp and clams around like the fish in the ocean- and sit down at the artfully arranged table. It's very beautiful. Maybe, if I win-_if-_ I can make my hobby decorating or something. I like art.

"So," Haymitch clears his throat and picks at his lobster. "About tomorrow's training. What can you two do?"

"Wrestling?" Peeta speaks up. "All that lifting flour and stuff at the bakery must have helped a lot." Haymitch considers him for a moment.

"Hmmmm... okay. What about you?" he turns to me.

"I can't really fight," I mumble. "Just heal..." I trail off uncertainly.

Haymitch huffs in annoyance. Then, suddenly, he grabs a knife and hurls it at me. I yelp. But, to my surprise, I've caught it. I stare at it for a long while. Effie starts scolding Haymitch. He just talks over her. "Thought that might work. You, my dear, have speed. Fast reflexes. Try throwing that knife."

I throw it, and to my surprise it lodges into the wall; right where I wanted it to hit.

"Aim too," Haymitch says approvingly.

xxXxx

At training the next day, I get through all the stations super fast after the head trainer finishes her speech. Then I go again to the ones I had trouble with. Which, unfortunately is more than half of them. By lunch I have gone through one-sixth of those.

After, Peeta starts following me to all of the stations. I have a lot to learn about traps. I can't even tie the rope right. Gale could probably do this easily. Katniss told me he was a genius at setting traps. I scowl and yank the rope again.

Most of the tributes glance at me and whisper. I'm so tiny and delicate, they're probably wondering why I didn't let Katniss take my place. "So, why are you following me?" I strike up conversation with Peeta.

"Well..." he glances around furtively. "See, I have an idea. Can you just meet me up on the roof tonight?"

"...sure..."

"Great! I have to go talk to some people... Why don't you go make some friends?" And then he rushes off, leaving me staring at him.

I see a little girl from District 11 by herself. Make friends, huh? Why not start with her? I go to her station- climbing, I also have trouble with that- and smile. "Hi. I'm Prim, from District 12."

She smiles back. "I'm Rue." She's about the same age as me, but way smaller. I instantly start to feel protective of her, like a sister might feel.

"So, what are you doing?" And just like that, I've made a friend. Man, this is easy.

Clove stalks up and smirks at us. "So, are the babies getting together?"

Or not.

"Nope." I struggle to keep my face blank. "I don't see any babies around here. Maybe you get you need to get your eyes checked or something."

Her pretty face twists into a hateful expression. "Watch it, Flower," she growls. She whips out a knife and throws it at me. The look on her face when I snatch it out of the air and launch it back is priceless. She quickly flips to dodge it. "You're on," she hisses, and is about to fling another knife when a trainer comes up and breaks up the fight. For the rest of the day she sends hateful glares my way.

xxXxx

The elevator ride back up to my rooms is silent and long, since it stops at every floor to deposit tributes. Finally, I'm alone for about two seconds. I haven't seen Peeta for the whole day. Effie drags me to the dining room the moment I step out. She leads me to my bathroom, shoves me in, and turns on the water. Two minutes later, she pulls me out, dries me off, and throws a clean pair clothes onto me. Then she drags me to the dining room. "There," she says, panting slightly. "I got her here in in 5 minutes. Let's eat now."

Haymitch rolls his eyes. As I slide into the seat beside him, bemused, he mutters under his breath,"It was your idea we couldn't eat before Prim got here..."

Effie's heads snaps up. "What was that, dear?" she calls from across the room. That woman has the hearing of a bat.

"Nothing..."

"Haymitch, really, you shouldn't say that," she continues as if he didn't say anything. "It was an old tradition, from before Panem. Everyone must be present. Now then, let's start!" She claps her hands imperiously and Avoxes file in, carrying plates of food. The five-course meal is delicious.

After, I take the stairs to the roof. "Well?" I ask Peeta. He's already on the roof.

"I have a plan." Peeta glances around. "We can convince people to not fight. All of us can rise against the capitol. And before you say that's not possible, hear me out. I know what Katniss has been doing- smuggling in food, sending reports to District 13. We can convince people like that, tell them. The Capitol can't actually force us to fight. It's just survival instinct that makes us kill. If we don't fight each other, we can concentrate on helping the rebellion."

"What rebellion?"

"Katniss is going to lead a rebellion the day of the Hunger Games. Everyone will be focusing on watching us kill each other. They'll be taken completely by surprise."

I smile. It's absolutely ingenious. "There's just one problem..."

"Yeah?"

"How do we get everyone to agree? Some actually want to win-even if it means killing tons of people."

"Yeah. I kinda don't know what to do about that," he admits. "But if we just make a few friends, maybe..." he trails off and sighs. "Look, I just don't want to kill a bunch of people and have a bunch of people try to kill_ me_. I'm pretty sure most other people don't want that either. Maybe we can just ignore the careers. If the rest of us get together, we outnumber them by a lot."

We stay up on the roof for the rest of the night, planning, arguing, and masking it all up by pretending to talk about home. Mostly we talk about Katniss. I don't know why.

**A/N: So... was it better...?**


	2. Games

**A/N: Sorry if there are any mistakes.**

I bounce on my toes nervously. We've had three days to prepare for this evaluation thing. I've been training really hard, and, on top of that, making friends, talking, planning well into the night... It's _exhausting_. I'm not completely confident in my knife-throwing skills, but it will have to do.

The girl form District Three bounces out of the training room and the boy from District Four goes in. Why do _I_ have to be last?

I try to shut out everything. It's surprisingly easy. I can make myself forget about the people who want to kill me in a few days, my mom, Katniss, Gale, my home. I sit there in complete calm until Peeta walks out and rests his hand on my shoulder for a moment. I look up into his blue eyes. "Good luck," he says, and walks away.

I take a breath and push open the huge doors leading in. The room is the same as the training room, except the stations are cleaned up. The weapons, herbs, and rope and stuff is organized in the middle. A rather large crater is in a corner of the room. Wonder who did that. A tribute, maybe? A stage is positioned like a loft one story up. Gamemakers and other important people sit there with food and comfy chairs. They haven't even noticed me come in.

Anger rushes through me, pushing out my jittery nervousness. If they don't notice me, I'll have to _make _them notice me. I storm over to the knives section and pull some out, going for the deadliest-looking ones. I examine the Capitol people and single one out. "Hello...?" My voice echoes in the circular room. A few glance at me, disinterested, and go back to the huge pie set in front of them. "You asked for it," I mutter to myself. I finger the knives one more time and suddenly fling them, four from each hand.

The fat gamemaker sitting in the two-person sofa squeals like a pig as my knives surround him, tearing the cushion and sending feathers everywhere. Oops. A few of the slower (dumber) gamemakers stare at the pig that was just set before them as if wondering if that was what made the sound. "And now, for my last trick...the disappearing parts of pig," I say it quietly, but Seneca Crane, head gamemaker, glares at me.

I attach rope to my last two knives and throw them at the pig. The needle-like knife pierces the meat. The other, sharper, one cuts. I yank the rope back and eat it, smirking. Then I bow mockingly and stalk out of the room.

xxXxx

In the elevator, I lean my head against the door, laughing hysterically to myself. I can't believe i just did that. And then I feel the overwhelming urge to throw up. I stumble out as soon as the doors open, ignoring Effie.

I sit next to the toilet after. That meat was too..._rich_, I guess. Too much fat. I hadn't ever tried anything like that in District Twelve, probably because we didn't _have_ anything like that. Just lean squirrel meat, and skinny rabbits and the occasional wild turkey. I crawl onto my bed and somehow fall asleep while telling myself not to.

"_Prim!"_ My mother's voice comes from behind me, and I turn around. _"Look_!" _  
><em>

"Mom?"

She thrusts her hand into my face. "_Look, Prim, look. Look at it!" _She grabs me in a hug and thrusts her hand back up. "_I finally found it!"_

_"_What, mom?" I back up to look at her fist.

"_Prim!" _My mother's form is receding, and her voice starts to fade as she calls my name repeatedly. "_Prim! Prim!" _

I try to run back, but I can't. "Mom!"

Suddenly, her voice gets louder again. "Prim!"

I suddenly jolt up in bed, panting. "Mom?"

"Prim!" That's not my mother's voice.

Effie stands over me, hands on hips. "Finally! Get up."

My mother was disappearing in my dream. I shiver and pull the blankets around me tighter.

"You missed dinner! What were you thinking?"

I wonder who put me in bed.

"Primrose Everdeen! Are you listening to me?" Effie grabs me and shakes slightly. "Meet us in the room with the biggest TV after you dress," she orders before stomping out, fuming.

Apparently we have more than one TV, I muse, as I hunt around the room for my clothes. A pair of hands suddenly appears in my line of vision, holding my pants.

I look up to see a silent red-headed girl. She was the one who served us at dinner yesterday, I notice, the avox. "Thanks," I say after a moment.

She helps me into my clothes and leads me to a room with a TV so big, it takes up the entire wall. Effie and the crew sit in the curvy sofas, eyes glued to the screen.

"District 1, Marvel- nine," the robotic voice announces.

"Just in time," Peeta whispers as I sit down next to him.

We sit through the districts until District 12. "District 12, Peeta Mellark," Haymitch grips the sofa arm, "eight." Everyone cheers. And District 12, Primrose Everdeen-" the voice pauses. Effie starts muttering to herself. Haymitch coughs.

"It's unbelievable!" A new voice announces. "Caesar Flickerman here. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a mistake. I felt this had to be announced personally. Prim has a whopping twelve! Congratulations!"

Silence fills the room.

Haymitch turns to me slowly. "You didn't just throw knives, did you?"

"Umm...no?"

He sighs. "You know what, I don't want to know what you did. I'm out of here. There better be wine in the dining room." He stands and leaves the room, but comes back a few seconds later. "Damned curiosity," he mutters.

"Well?" Effie demands.

"Well, you know, they weren't paying attention so I threw a few knives, and took some of that roast pig- it tasted _horrible_- and I left. So yeah. Nothing too special," I say quietly.

Haymitch groans and stomps out of the room, muttering "Need more wine..."

Effie stares at me, horrified. "You left without being excused? OH!" and promptly (fake) faints, leaving the avoxes to get her back to her room.

"So..." I say when Peeta and I are alone in the room. "What did you do?"

"Threw a few bags of weights around, you know. Just displayed strength best I could." He runs a hand through his unruly blond hair and looks at me weirdly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I demand.

"You're.. different. From when we were at home," he says slowly. "You don't need protecting anymore, it's like you're more.. independent." He yawns. "Goodnight, Prim," he says sleepily, and stumbles out.

I shrug to myself and go to my room.

xxXxx

"Hello," a man says, entering the room. I'm in the prepping room, and my three helpers or whatever have just left. _Tomorrow's the start of the games, _I suddenly remember.

"I'm Cinna," the man continues. He's normal looking, except for some gold eye shadow. _Tomorrow the Games begin_. Apparently, his student was the one who dressed me for the opening ceremonies. He fits me into a dress. It's white and poofy with a little pink bow to make me look "innocent". He talks as he takes measurements, and I find myself liking him a bit more, and even saying something every now and then.

Finally, he's done and it's time for the interviews. The night passes by in a blur again, and when it's my turn I manage to push my panic down enough to pay attention. I make myself bounce up the stage and sit down next to him, and then wave at the audience. They roar in response. _These people want me to die in the games._

"Well, look who we have here! Welcome, young lady. My, that dress looks good on you!" Honestly, I don't get why they like this guy. "So, how're things going?"

_Tomorrow is the start of The Hunger Games._I blank out the rest of the interview, but when I get back into the apartment Cinna and Haymitch congratulate me and assure me I did great.

"You must have gotten at least ten sponsers by now," Haymitch says, smiling down at me, but I don't care. I just want to go to sleep and forget about this forget about my homesickness, forget that the games are tomorrow.

_The Hunger Games is tomorrow_, my mind insists on thinking over and over again. I lay down in bed. _The Hunger Games is tomorrow. _I even dream about the words floating through my mind. _The Hunger Games is tomorrow. _I jolt awake in and find sunlight streaming through my windows. _The Hunger Games is _today. _Today I am going to die. Or maybe tomorrow. But soon. I am going to die soon._

__And then that thought drifts through my mind through breakfast, the somber ride on the hovercraft, Cinna's goodbye in the underground rooms- "You're going to do fine, Prim,"- and suddenly I'm rising though the tube. _I am going to die soon._

"The Seventy Fourth Hunger Games will begin in sixty...fifty nine..."

But wait. I see Rue and Peeta looking at me encouragingly. Some other tributes are also looking at me, but not in a hostile way.

"Forty one...forty...thirty nine..."

I have others supporting me. I forgot. How could I forget? _I might not be dying soon._

"Twelve...eleven...ten...nine..."

Me and Peeta had a_ plan_.

"Five...four..."

_I will survive._

"One."

The cannon booms, my heart starts racing, and to the confusion of the careers, the other half of us rush towards the Cornucorpia and grab any knife we can find. _I will survive. _I position the knife over my arm. _I'm going to go home. _I plunge the knife in and the tracker falls out.


	3. Rue

**Tell me if there are any mistakes! I'm too lazy to edit...**

**There is an OC in this chapter named Creon.**

I rush into the forest next, grabbing whatever I see. There's a tree near a river, the tallest tree closest to the edge of the forest, It's where we agreed to meet. Underneath it's wide, sweeping branches, there's a boulder, and I sit down to catch my breath. I'm panting so loud that I almost don't notice the rustle in the trees above me.

I turn to hide, but then Rue's head peeks out from some leaves. "Hello," she murmurs shyly. There's a light _thump_ as she lands on the ground next to me.

We sit and wait...and wait...and wait. Finally, some bushes get trampled over and the rest of the tributes arrive. "Hey," Peeta waves.

There's a lot of grumbling as the tributes arrange themselves on the boulder, some leaning back, others tense as if they don't know who to trust. The adrenaline sends me pacing back and forth, balancing precariously on top of the rock.

"Ok," Peeta starts explaining the next part of the plan. "Now, we figured out some important stuff. The forcefield-" A little boy cuts him off.

"How did you find this _information_?" he asks suspiciously.

Peeta rolls his eyes slightly. "The computers are easy for District Three to hack into. Anyways-"

Again, he is cut off. This time by a crackling sound. Everyone looks around uneasily.

The boulder that we're sitting on suddenly explodes. Cracks stream out, forming a web of deep rifts. Fire shoots out from some of them, while scorpions and every disgusting thing climbs out. I'm thrown at least twenty feet from the impact.

I hear a ringing in my ears and dislodge myself from the tree. I rub my eyes and ignore the weird looking dust that comes off.

I look around for Peeta. Where is he? I saw him right before the explosion happened. Before I can ponder more, there's a low growling sound directly behind me. Again, dust gets into my eyes. Frustrated, I wipe it away again. I back away as some snakes slither toward me. My knife flashes as I fight off some random giant lizards. Next comes the fire. District Four's boy, gone. Then the snakes almost overwhelm us and District 6 is gone.

When I turn around, a huge mastiff is towering over me, with familiar eyes. I see the broken bodies of the tributes from District 5. Thresh goes down in a horde of snakes. I try to help him, but the mastiff blocks me.

The sun hits my knife and blinds me, just for a second.

When the mastiff sees, it growls and lunges. At me. Of course it would target what seemed like the weakest one. But I had learned something during the days of training. As long as I am faster, I can dart in with the dagger I took from the cornucopia. My knife gleams brightly in the sunlight filtering through the leaves. When I meet the monster's eyes, I stop dead. I suddenly remember why they're so familiar.

Rue cries out when she sees Thresh, and that jerks me out of my thoughts. I stumble out of the way as Rue takes revenge, and just stand there for a moment, dazed. I remember who's eyes they are. They're his, bright and sparkling and brown, lit up whenever he smiles. They're especially beautiful in the forest, when he's hunting and his pale brow is furrowed in concentration. He and Katniss, together, alone in the forest every single day. And that's when I realize that I don't really hate him. Not even a little bit. I'm just jealous.

I like Gale Hawthorne- no, I am in love with him. Deeply in love with Gale, of all the people. The realization hits me hard, and I stumble. Right into the mastiff's deadly claws and serrated teeth.

_I thought hated Gale! _is all I can think.

Rue jumps in front of me. The huge monster's claws sink into her with a sickening gushing sound. She doesn't even scream, just stares defiantly at it. What are you doing? I want to shout, but my mouth doesn't seem to be working. In fact, all of the live tributes just stare in surprise as, with a little dagger, Rue cuts the beast's throat. When it falls on her, I stagger forward and pull her out.

Her breathing is labored, face pale. I try not to look at the bloody gash on her chest. "Rue..." I whisper. "Why did you do that?" She smiles.

"You see this knife?" Rue picks up her dagger. "It looks just like the one Creon gave me." Her eyes are glazed, unfocused. "Look, mommy." She holds it up to my face.

"Creon?"

"From District 10. I met him in the fields...outside our district. He was lost, and when I helped-" Rue coughed. I tried to ignore the red staining her cheek, chin, shirt. I tried to ignore the red haze of anger that clouded my vision.

"Rue..." I whisper.

Rue turns her attention to the sky. "Isn't it beautiful? Look at the birds..." Her chest stops moving and she closes her eyes. "Rue!" I scream. Tears are streaming down my face. For Rue, but also for Peeta. I don't know where he is, but he probably fell into the crack and died. "I hate you!" I shout at the sky. "I hate the Capitol, the games, everything! I hate-" An announcement cuts me off.

"Primrose Everdeen," The voice of President Snow booms out over the arena. "You have witnessed the might of the capitol. Defy us again, and your family will be punished. Their death will be worse than Rue's, I assure you. Now, fight, and kill each other!"

**Sorry it was so short :)**


	4. Crevice

Everyone turns to stare at me, so I quickly start backing up. Some of them start advancing on me, glaring. I turn and scale the nearest tree. I can't fathom why they would listen to that stupid president, but there is no time to think about it now. My brain doesn't seem to be working anyways.

Cato tries to climb the tree, but he is too heavy. I still climb higher, but then the branches start creaking under me. They are getting too thin to support my weight. I look around desperately for another way away, but there are only trees. I steel myself and then jump onto the oak tree next to mine, a trick Rue had taught me. My breath hitches when I think of her, and the tears start flowing.

"Where did the brat go?" someone growls.

I jump onto the next tree almost soundlessly, tears flowing down my face. My eyesight is blurred. The numbness from Rue's death is wearing off. My brain starts working furiously. Who has died? District 11, District 2 probably, Peeta... Peeta!

Someone else says, "Let's look. I thought I heard something this way." The words barely register in my mind.

What happened to him? I can't remember... There was the explosion, and then I didn't see him anymore. I didnt actually see him die. Hope sears through me. Maybe Peeta is still alive! If I can find him-

My thoughts get cut off when the branch under me cracks. I hadn't looked at where I was going, and the branch breaks and I'm falling, just like in my dream. Falling a long way down. I see the crevice when I desperately twist, but then darkness envelopes me and I black out.

::...::

My head is pounding. I feel pain everywhere. My eyes don't seem to want to open, for whatever reason. I try to sit up, but my limbs won't let me. No, wait... They seem to be restrained in some way. And I can't seem to care.

Everything seems very bright. I hear voices next to me. They're soft so I can't make out what they're saying. Someone opens my mouth and puts a metal rod in so that I can't close it. A knife or something touches my lip, and slowly goes inside my mouth. I feel a mild panic that soon subsides when someone inserts a needle into me.

I feel gentle hands caress my face, my last memory before drifting unconscious again.

::...::

My eyes open, and instantly I'm almost blinded by the lights shining on me from above. I'm strapped to a table, and my mouth feels oddly light and empty... The thought disappears from my mind when I get a good look around me. There are scary looking medical instruments laid out on lots of tables around this white, sterile room. They're really sharp. No one is in here, though I see some blurry shadows through the one big window on my left.

I wait for an interminable amount of time, getting bored and hungry and thirsty. The Capitol, for I have no doubt they are the ones who put me here, must have given me a sedative because I don't really feel anything. I'm not even scared or worried about why I'm here.

The door on my right finally opens, and Peeta walks in.

A/N: Cliffhanger! Kind of... :) Sorry for taking so long. Please review and tell me what you think.


	5. Avox

Thanks for reviewing!

"Peeta! What are you doing here?" I say. Or at least try to say. I open my mouth and move my lips, but no sound comes out. I frown and try again. Peeta just stares at me. He's dresses in all white, and he seems a little different. But I can't place it. A moment later, someone stalks in.

I can't see much from my vantage point, but I can tell that the someone is a girl. She stands by my head so that I can't see her. "Peeta," she says imperiously. "get over here." I'm amazed when Peeta comes over obediently, staring at the floor.

The woman must have seen the question in my eyes, because she says, "We took out his tongue when the explosion happened." She let's that sink in for a moment before she adds, "And we took out yours."

I go into shock again. Peeta releases my bonds and helps me up. The woman leads us through the door and into the winding, confusing corridors outside. We go up and down and around until I completely lose my sense of direction. On the way, there are many rooms like the one I was in. Some of them are empty, but others have people strapped to the beds. What is happening in those rooms makes me feel sick. They are all having their tongues removed, and I can see that most of them weren't given sedatives like me.

We finally stop in front of a cell door, the first of many. The woman unlocks the door, shoves us in, and locks it again. "Tell her what is expected of her, Peeta," she says, throwing paper and a pen, before walking away.

I look around the cell. It's small, about ten ft. by ten ft. It's tall enough so we can stand. There are two cots laid out side be side. They have thin blankets on them. There is also a teensy toilet in the corner and a teensy sink. The only illumination comes from outside. I notice that the cell across from ours is empty.

Peeta takes a pen and paper and writes_ Are you okay?_

He hands them to me._ Maybe. I don't know. Oh, wait, OF COURSE IM NOT OK. SOMEONE FREAKING TOOK OUT MY FREAKING TONGUE._

He half-smiles. Like, he's smiling but not smiling._ I'm glad to see you too._

_Why aren't we in the hunger games?_ I ask.

He hesitates a moment._ I'm not sure. But I think Katniss and Gale started a rebellion._

_Oookkaaaaaayyy... What does that have to do with us?_

_Maybe the capitol wants to threaten them._

I sit there for a while, digesting this information. _What is the capitol going to do to us?_

_We just work for the Capitol._

_What if I don't want to?_

Peeta sighs._ We're avoxes, Prim. We don't really have a choice._

I don't know why, but after reading that everything, all the pent up emotions, just rush out of me and I find myself sobbing into Peeta's shoulder. He holds me and makes soothing noises. That just makes me cry harder, because I know we won't ever be able to talk again.

After a long time, I run out of tears and Peeta lays me gently on a cot. He goes to a box I hadn't noticed before and takes out a metal, beat-up cup. Peeta fills it up and gives it to me, stroking my hair as I drink it.

He starts writing something on a piece of paper. After awhile, he hands it to me. There is a map on one side, labelled Avox Quarters. On the other side is what looks like instructions and a schedule.

_*Don't look anyone in the eye_  
><em>*Do whatever people tell you to do<em>  
><em>*We have a special shower place where we take turns showering every night<em>  
><em>* Miss Justice is the one who brought us here<em>

_6:00-6:15 Get up and dress and stuff_  
><em>6:15-12:00 Work<em>  
><em>12:00-12:15 Eat<em>  
><em>12:15-19:00 Work<em>  
><em>19:00-19:30 Eat<em>  
><em>19:30-20:30 Shower<em>  
><em>20:30-6:00 Sleep<em>

I look up to see Peeta waiting for a reaction_. What do we do when we work? _I write_._

Peeta_ shrugs. Whatever the Capitol wants._

_What time is it?_

_5:00_

_What happens when you don't obey?_

_You'll see. Today you're going through training._

That seems very scary_. What about you?_ I write.

_I have to work._ He sees my stricken expression and half-smiles again_. Don't worry Prim, I'll see you tonight._

_But I'm scared_.

Peeta pulls me into another hug and we stay like that until a bell rings. Peeta hands me a white uniform and washes his face while I take off my hospital gown and slip it on. Then I wash my face and tuck the map into my pocket.

He pulls me to the cell door and we wait there. Miss Justice finally struts by, wearing the most ridiculous pair of high heels I've ever seen. She hands a slip of paper to me, and another to Peeta. She walks between the rows and hands slips of paper to everyone else. Oddly, all the cells except for the one across from ours has avoxes in them.  
>"Look at your papers," she calls out. Mine says 'Training'. Peeta's says 'Sewers'. He makes a face and puts the paper in his pocket. "All 'Training' papers, come with me." I notice that our cell doors automatically unlock.<p>

Peeta gives me an encouraging smile and I go through the door. Two others are hesitantly walking towards Justice too. I don't recognize them.

"Follow me," Justice says curtly and leads us through another maze-like set of corridors. I don't dare use Peeta's map, so I get lost again. Finally, she stops at a door. I start shaking. Justice opens it, and I almost faint at the sight inside.

A/N: Another Cliffie! :)  
>Review!<p> 


	6. Love

**A/N: I just realized I killed off too many people in the first three chapters... I think I should edit them (the chapters). They're not that good anyways. **

There's blood. Everywhere. On the walls, floor, ceiling, torture devices. I am very scared of blood. And there are so many torture devices... Electrocuters, whips, things I can't identify. I catch a glimpse of Justice's smirk. She looks so sadistic. I start shaking from fear. But then I see something. It looks kind of like a dome. There's a tiny button on it. Justice catches me staring at it. "Don't even think about doing what you did in the arena," she snarls.

I blink._ What?_ What does she mean?

The weirdest thing is, the dome looks familiar. I don't know why. There's something nagging at the back of my brain. Like I forgot something really important. And I don't know why, but the other two avoxes are looking at me. I don't know the are, but the boy looks like he reall wants to say something.

I keep on looking around the room. There's a knife. It looks like Creon/Rue's. I stop paying attention to whatever Justice is saying. I'm only aware of the knife. It seems to trigger memories... I have to remember...

The room starts spinning. I collapse. I'm only dimly aware of Justice yelling at me to get up. Memories start flowing through my brain...

/...~|~...\ (Flashback)

I fall through the air, and I see the crevice beneath me. It's dark and it looks so deep... I crash and pain spreads through my body. I'm pretty sure I heard a crack. There are crashing sounds from above, and lots of clanging and shouting. Then silence.

After awhile, I try to sit up. Miraculously, none of my bones seem to be broken. I look up and see sunlight. "Hello?" I call tentatively. Someone's form blocks out the light.

"There you are," the person says. Sounds kind of like a boy. "Been lookin' for ya."

"Who are you?" My voice sounds much braver than I feel.

"I'm from district 3. Electronics."

"Sooooo...?"

I think he rolls his eyes. "Seems like you could use a little help. How about I help you out and you agree to partner with me and my other allies?"

I think for a little while and eye the rocks. I don't think I could climb up by myself. "Okay then," I say reluctantly. I really don't feel like trusting people right now. A rope drops down and makes a little thump sound.

"Grab on," someone else says. I grip the rough rope really tight and feel myself slowly rising. The sudden sunlight blinds me for a second, and when I can see there is a pretty big group of people standing there.

District 3 holds out his hand. "I'm Sparks." He's a bit older than me. He gestures to his group. "Your boyfriend talked to us."

My face flushes. "He's not my boyfriend," I say angrily.

Sparks rolls his eyes again. I can't help noticing he looks rather attractive when he does that.

The girl holding the rope steps forward. "I'm Aquamarine from District 3, Sparks' cousin," she says softly. She's a bit younger than Rue, and I feel a rush of grief when she tilts her head a little, just like Rue. Her long bluish-blondish hair glides over her shoulders, and my throat tightens. I manage to nod.

The others introduce themselves. There's also a pair of twins, boy and girl named Rye and Quinoa. Both have long brown hair, freckles, and they are really tall. They're from district 9.

There's one more girl hanging in the back. She eyes me like she doesn't trust me, and she doesn't bother to introduce herself. I glare right back at her, immediately hating her. She may be as old as Katniss, but she doesn't scare me.

"Ummmmm..." Sparks glances between us uncertainly. "Why don't you tell the rest of us who you are?" he asks me.

"I'm Prim, from district 12."

He looks expectantly at the tall girl. She sighs. "Mote. District 10."

I can tell she's thinking_ I don't like you, "Flower". _Well, the feeling's mutual, "Dusty" I think back.

Sparks sighs. "I can just tell how we'll get along well," he mutters sarcastically under his breath. Mote, or Dusty-I think I'll call her that- glares at him. He rolls his eyes again. I find myself attracted by his high, rather feminine cheekbones. The slant of his eyes are very exotic. His jaw is very nicely shaped. Sunlight falls across some of his face. I can see every strand of his dark brown hair. His bronze skin seems to glow... I snap out of my daydream when he catches me staring and grins cockily. I turn away, scowling, but my face still flushes. _Why does he have this effect on me?_ I wonder.

/.-./

I learn that Sparks and his team couldn't give a crap what President Snow says. Peeta convinced them to help us- well now it's just me; so help me they will. They take me to their camp. It's in a clearing in the forest. There's a nice clean river nearby, and they managed to take enough supplies from the cornucopia to make tents for everyone. There's a red-headed boy tending the fire at the camp. Something that smells _ really_ good comes from a pot. I realize I'm really hungry.

He doesn't look at all surprised when he sees me. "Hi!" he says brightly, smiling up at me with a tooth missing. "I'm Track!" I can't help smiling back when I see his energy. He looks past me and jumps up, running at Dusty and tackling her. "Hallo! I made your favorite! Stew!" Dusty's obviously his favorite. I see her crack a smile, the first I've seen from her. She rubs his hair affectionately, and they start wrestling, kicking up dust everywhere. Sparks yawns and collapses by the fire. The rest of them sit next to him and start tending to each others' wounds. They look just like a family- a squabbling, loud family, but a family nontheless. I feel a bit left out, so I drift to the clearing's edge and examine the plants growing there. I sense someone come up from behind.

"Watcha lookin' at?" Sparks' warm breath ghosts over my neck.

"Herbs," I answer as nonchalantly as I can. Just his _voice _is enough to make me want to shiver with pleasure. His large hands are surprisingly gentle as he takes the herbs from my hand. He examines them closely.

"Do these taste good?" he asks. I giggle.

"You don't eat them," I answer. I notice a bit of dried blood on his shoulder. "Here," I say, turning him around. "These herbs will make your wounds feel better."

I turn him around and pull up his shirt, staring at his smooth back for a moment. I unwrap the the bandages around his cut. I take a rock and mash the herb into a paste. Sparks looks at it suspiciously. "What're you doing?"

"Making a poultice."

He turns around, sniffs it and makes a face. "Are you sure it's not poisonous? I don't wanna die because you picked the wrong herb. And aren't you supposed to use like a bowl? What of the juices run out and the roots like poison me or something? Are you sure it's the right one?"

He backs off when I glare at him. I turn him back around and put it on his wound. He sighs when it takes the pain away. "Feel better?" I ask. He nods and smiles at me.

Our eyes meet and suddenly there's an electric tension tingling in the air. My breath hitches. His perfect lips part just a little, and we start drifting closer. My eyes flutter shut. I wonder how his lips will feel, on mine.

There's a thud, and suddenly dust explodes in my face. I stare at the rock laying between us. Sparks groans. "What the hell, Mote?"

She's standing by the fire, waving at us. "Get over here, Flower, Sparks! What are you doing? Making out? Get over here and eat with us already!"

Sparks sighs and grabs a handful of herbs. "Come on, then," he says pulling me up. I am so stunned, he has to half drag me.

I keep thinking about Sparks' face and eyes and lips, but thankfully I'm soon distracted by the wonderful stew Track's made. It has some kind of delicious meat in it, and lots of vegetables. I'm so hungry I scarf it down right away. "You like it?" Track asks.

"Yeah. It's wonderful. Where did you learn to make it?" Track beams happily.

"From my sister!"

After dinner, we put out the fire so the other tributes won't see us. Sparks has all the girls go clean up first in the river. The sun hasn't completely set yet, so the water isn't very cold. Mote uses every opportunity to splash my face, and soon we're in a water fight. I come out feeling the happiest I've felt since the reaping.

/.-./

Sparks assigns night watches and, surprise, surprise, I'm paired with him. We sit there watching the stars in the middle of the night. They bathe the landscape around us with silver. The moon is right above our clearing, and the only sounds I can hear are the little nocturnal animals looking for food. I lie back and watch the moon. Sparks lies next to me. He's so warm... I get lost in my daydreams. Well, nightdreams, since it's night.

"About what happened earlier..." Sparks' voice breaks the silence. He sighs and suddenly boosts himself up, turning slightly so he's over me, held up by his arms. I stare up at him. The moonlight makes him look so angelic. "I don't know why, but since that first day I saw you in the training rooms, I-," he struggles for the right words, I can see, "it's just- dammit, Prim, I can't stop thinking about you." His warm breath caresses my face. "You're so beautiful, and gentle, and perfect, and I know I shouldn't, bu I do." His voice turns quiet. "I love you, Prim."

My emotions are in turmoil. I mean, I do like him a lot, but I also like Gale. I think for awhile. "Prim...?" Sparks' voice is uncertain. Yes, Sparks is a lot better than Gale. For some reason, I don't like Gale anymore. I suddenly flash back to the attack. I hadn't remembered it before but there was this powder flung at me. It got into my eyes and _then _I suddenly started liking Gale. But after, I can't remember liking Gale any more. So was that a distraction or something...?

I mentally shake my head. This stupid capitol, messing up peoples heads.

I look up at Sparks. "I love you too. At least, I'm pretty sure I do. How can you tell?"

His eyes glint and he leans down closer. "By seeing how they react to this," he breathes, and then he kisses me.

It's sweet and soft and gentle, and unsurprisingly, his lips are as soft and warm as I imagined. I kiss him back. He finally pulls back for air. "You see?" he says teasingly, panting. "You do like me." I laugh breathlessly. I guess I do. I can't imagine doing that to Gale in a million years.

Sparks pulls me into his lap and we resume our watch.

**A/N: Guess what? I reached my goal of more than 2000 words for this chapter! YAAAAAYYYYY! K. bye.**


	7. Great Ideas

**A/N: So sorry I haven't updated! I was busy on vacation and didn't have time, and then school started... Hope this chapter makes up for it... Maybe...**

**On a totally unrelated note, I wrote a Naruto fanfic called Freebirds and guess what? In the CSI investigation for science, the victim was named Freebird...**

Me and Sparks move almost silently through the forest undergrowth. Rye and Quinoa stayed back to guard the camp. Track went off to fish. Only Mote came with us.

There's a faint crash from somewhere. Mote and I turn towards the sound at the same time. "What is it?" Sparks breathes. A cannon suddenly sounds. "Well, now we know where the careers are," he answers himself.

We veer off towards the sound, even more cautious. Sparks leads, with me behind him and Mote covering our backs while erasing the tracks. I have the perfect opportunity to study Sparks's back as he slips through the trees. I mentally hit myself when I almost bump into him when he stops suddenly. "Look," he mouths, and points to a gap in between the bushes ahead. I see the careers' newest victim across the huge clearing. A streak of sunlight falls right on her wound and I have to look away. As I study the trees, I notice a thinly disguised trail leading away.

We withdraw a little ways and sit on a rock. "Should we follow them?" Mote asks. "It might lead to their camp."

"Or a trap," Sparks points out.

"We could follow the trail, just walk a few yards beside it," I say.

"Ok," Sparks agrees. We go back. It seems to go on for miles, and my legs are sore by the time we hear the careers' uproarious laughter ringing through the trees. I wince when someone shouts really loud, not used to all this noise after the forest being so quiet.

Mote creeps low on the ground. Sparks slips between the trees like a shadow. I scale a tree to survey from there. We circle cautiously, checking for traps.

After, Sparks sets up a minefield a few yards away. I watch him with interest as he rips up some wires and connects them to random metal parts. "Where did you get those?" I ask quietly.

He grins boyishly. "I dug up the bombs around the cornucopia. Here, look." He hands me a metallic half-sphere with wires sticking out. I examine it carefully, but I can't figure our how it works.

He laughs and gently takes it. For the next hour or two, he shows me and I build my own bomb- a very sloppy, ugly bomb. Nothing like his sleek and beat ones.

Finally we sneak close and settle down to wait for them to sleep. Sparks passes around water and some surprisingly tasty crackers. As the night grows dark and the emblem blazes in the sky, we ready our weapons and go over our plan one more time.

"Destroy food pile. Take supplies. Try not to kill, but if you have to, fine," Sparks speaks urgently. "But the food is our top priority."

We nod, and the last chords of the anthem drift through the arena.

There's lots of grumbling as the careers settle down for the night. So overconfident, I think. Not even one guard.

Finally, we creep to the food pile. I hand stuff to Sparks who gives them to Mote, who puts them in our bags. We brought all the bags we could find, plus some huge leaves we could drag along the ground. When there's only a patch of earth left where everything was, I grab a few bags and start to lug them out.

Everything is going fine until Rye suddenly bursts through the trees and trips over a leaf full of stuff. A stick cracks and we freeze. But it's too late. Immediately, careers are stirring around us, grasping at their weapons. "Mutants," Rye pants, his voice full of panic.

We rush out, dragging the food along. They get dumped on the mines, and we sprint out before it sets off the explosions. I hear crashing sounds, and I see feral eyes behind me. But the mutants snarls gradually grow quieter as they're distracted by the careers.

Their screams gradually fade away. "Ok, so that didn't go quite like I planned. But it worked better, right?" Sparks half-grins at us. I roll my eyes, but nod anyways.

"You know," I say later that night, as we sit by the fire eating, "I really want to use this bomb..."

Sparks gives me a you-have-officially-snapped-and-gone-crazy look.

"No, really. Peeta found out some stuff about the forcefield that, if you recall, you helped him find. I bet we could use that."

"You mean the chinks in the forcefield?"

"Wait," Quinoa interrupts. "He never finished telling us."

"There's these weak points in the forcefield where you can break through," Sparks whispers, lowering his voice. "You can see them by the blurry parts they make, and if we got through it, we could escape the games." There's a bright gleam of excitement in his eyes now. "That's a great idea, Prim," he reaches over and ruffles my hair. I feel my cheeks begin to warm. Love is such a strange thing.

**Ok, never mind, didn't make up for my long absence. But I actually have been kind of updating, replacing chapters and stuff. Chapters 1-3 have been revised :)**


	8. Bombs

**Chapter 8**

**A/N: I don't know how to build bombs, so...yeah. I don't even know what they're supposed to look like. This story is gonna end soon. Cause, I dunno, I don't feel like continuing it anymore? I'm planning on making it ten chapters. Thanks for reviewing, everyone.  
><strong>

"See, this wire goes right here, and then you connect this with wires, and..." Sparks's voice slowly fades out as I drift off against him. When I wake up, he hands me a bomb. It's a little dome with a button on top.

"I fixed your bomb," he says, and grins his cheeky grin. Then he leans in and kisses me. In front of everyone. I scowl and drag him into the trees.

"What's up with you?" I demand.

"We're gonna bomb stuff!"

"And that's good how...?"

"Come on, Prim, we can bust outta here," he slings his arm around me as he leads me back to camp. "Why so gloomy? I thought you liked kissing me."

I sigh. "You know what, whatever."

xxXxx

When I throw the bomb, it's out of pure reflex. I swear I did not throw it because I was mad at the careers and just wanted to do some damage, any damage, to the arena.

What was left of the careers had burst into our camp about three days after we'd destroyed their food and they'd gone on a killing rampage. And then, on top of killing both Quinoa and Rye, they stabbed Mote, who jumped in front of the knife coming for me.

She wouldn't even accept my thanks, either. Ever since, we'd been moping around and killing squirrels. At least me and Mote don't hate each other anymore.

So when the swarm of electronic locusts suddenly swarms our group and inject some poison into our bloodstream, we are totally unprepared. All we have time to do is climb the trees. Then I throw the bomb, when one of them starts biting me, and I have the satisfaction of watching plastic wings and wires flutter slowly to the ground.

For the first time in days, I don't feel numb. I feel alive now.

"That was fun." I grin slightly at Sparks.

He glances behind us and suddenly his eyes widen. "Mote," he suddenly whispers. "Hand me a bomb. Now."

For once she doesn't protest and hands him a flat one, kind if like a disk. With a flick of his wrist, it spins and then crashes into a chink in the forcefield. He drops down and runs through the hole, onto real land. "Come on!" He beckons at the rest of us.

Some more poisonous locusts buzz through the trees.

The kids slip through next and stand next to him, wonder showing in their faces as they look around. It's really night outside. They probably thought they'd never see real stars again when they first entered on their tubes.

And then there were two.

I feel a prickling of unease. Surely the Capitol won't let all of us go this easily.

"Go, Prim," Mote orders, glancing around and batting a few bugs away.

A whistling sound fills the air for a second, and then an arrow thuds next to Mote. A red light blinks an the end. I know what that means-detonating arrow. Without thinking, I push her through the shrinking hole; the forcefield is repairing itself. I yank the arrow out, dismantling it as quickly as I can.

My fingers start shaking as I pull wires apart. My head spins when I grab parts of bugs. My vision blurs when I glance at the now-repaired forcefield. I recognize signs of poison as I finish the last finishing touches to my bomb. Just throw it through the forcefield, and I can escape.

Then the biggest bug zips up to my ear. "You have a choice, Primrose." The voice coming through the tiny speakers sounds flat and monotone but I'm pretty sure it's Snow. "We have a hovercraft's gun trained on Mote. Turn yourself in, and we let her go. We'll even give them a head start."

My breath catches in my throat. One explosion, and then Sparks's voice drifts toward me unintelligibly. Only for a few seconds.

"Well, Prim? Crush this bug, and I'll take that as a yes."

Life for a life. On an impulse, I reach out and crush it. I'm sure I'll regret it later, but right now, I have to give them the best chance to escape. I'll blow them away from the forcefield, and while they're distracted, I can turn myself in.

But...there's this impulse to see Sparks just one more time that I can't ignore. So instead of tossing the bomb over my shoulder and walking away, I force myself to stand on shaky legs and toss the bomb. It's the biggest mistake of my life.

The explosion is too small. I can see that immediately. Instead of blowing them away, it creates another hole. And I know when Sparks sees my face that he knows exactly what I'm planning.

He jumps back towards me and sprints, though I can tell he's fighting poison too. My body just feels so, so heavy, and suddenly I'm just so sleepy. My legs go numb and I collapse at his feet. He goes down next to me.

_Go away_, I try to say. My throat won't make any sound. _Sparks, I love you so much, don't do this to me_. I can only mouth the words.

I see him mouth it back, _I love you_, and then the world goes black.

Next Update: Thanksgiving! Or sometime around then.


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